Biker Culture, Motorcycle Mechanics Big Draws at One Motorcycle Show

Vicious Cycle’s Joe Pethoud and his 1974 S-3 Kawasaki will be among the vintage bikes on display at The One Motorcycle Show this weekend.

Bikers by the hundreds are headed to Portland, Oregon’s Yale Union for the fifth annual The One Motorcycle Show this weekend. But if you’re expecting a roster of sleek new bikes that just rolled off the manufacturer’s lot, you ain’t gonna get it. Nope. This show is for the DIY vintage motorcycle lover who craves the experience of resurrecting a rusty old ride into a road-ready new best friend.

The event’s website says it this way:

“The One Motorcycle is all about the idea of the fusion of bike and owner as one connected unit. No matter what segment of motorcycle culture a rider may represent – and how accurate those stereotypes may be – there’s a strong connection between these wild bikes and the people that ride them.”

On proud display are the likes of a 1964 Triumph Bonneville; a 1955 IZH M47 350CC Dual Port Single 2 Stroke; a fusion between a 1977 Yamaha XS360 and a 1978 Yamaha XS500; and a steam bike built on a frame that may or may not be a BSA 250 Starfire and outfitted with a copper water tube and wood fired boiler, a French carriage lantern for a headlight, a sawmill whistle and an American carbide bicycle headlight with a lens “rouged” with dried red wine. That baby tops out at about 25 mph, but she’s a steampunk beauty, for sure.

A total of about 120 custom and vintage bikes will be featured. There’s also a variety of live music shows, a Short Moto Film Fest and collection of 21 intricately designed motorcycle helmets that illustrate a range of styles throughout motorcycle history. It’s a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Bell Helmets.

The One Motorcycle Show revs up Friday, February 7 at 6 pm and runs through Sunday afternoon. Are you going? Be sure to post your pics and stories on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.